legal

pronunciation

How to pronounce legal in British English: UK [ˈliːɡl]word uk audio image

How to pronounce legal in American English: US [ˈliːɡl] word us audio image

  • Adjective:
    established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
    of or relating to jurisprudence
    having legal efficacy or force
    relating to or characteristic of the profession of law
    allowed by official rules

Word Origin

legal
legal: [16] The Latin term for a ‘law’ was lex. From its stem form leg- come English legal, legislator [17] (which goes back to a Latin compound meaning literally ‘one who proposes a law’), and legitimate [15]. Loyal is a doublet of legal, acquired via Old French rather than directly from Latin. Another derivative of legwas the Latin verb lēgāre ‘depute, commission, bequeath’, which has given English colleague, college, delegate [14], legacy [14], and legation [15].=> colleague, college, delegate, legacy, loyal
legal (adj.)
mid-15c. "of or pertaining to the law," from Middle French légal or directly from Latin legalis "legal, pertaining to the law," from lex (genitive legis) "law," possibly related to legere "to gather," on notion of "a collection of rules" (see lecture (n.)). Sense of "permitted by law" is from 1640s. Related: Legally. The Old French form was leial, loial (see leal, loyal). Legal tender is from 1740.

Antonym

adj.

illegal

Example

1. She became a legal consultant .
2. Some legal experts expressed skepticism .
3. Had he received legal advice ?
4. The legal advice appears ambiguous .
5. Well , I 'd like some legal advice .

more: >How to Use "legal" with Example Sentences